The present invention relates to an image forming device for forming dot images in a heat sensitive image recording medium. More particularly, the invention relates to a heat-sensitive stencil-producing device for forming in a heat-sensitive stencil sheet perforated dot images such as marks and characters for transcribing to on an image-receiving sheet and also for forming in a heat-sensitive image recording sheet a printed dot image.
A stencil plate generally includes a heat-sensitive stencil sheet and an ink-impregnated body that is impregnated with ink, the latter being covered by the heat-sensitive stencil sheet. The heat-sensitive stencil-producing device includes a heating device for thermally perforating the heat-sensitive stencil sheet of the stencil plate, and a transport device for providing relative movement between the stencil plate and the heating device.
There has been known a conventional device of this type wherein the stencil plate is inserted in a heat-sensitive stencil-producing device. The heat-sensitive stencil sheet is transported by a motor and has a stencil made therein (i.e., is thermally perforated) by a thermal head. The stencil is a mirror image. This stencil plate is attached to a stamp block and pressed on a print sheet using the stamp block. This forces the ink in the ink-impregnated body through the perforations of the stencil formed in the heat-sensitive stencil sheet.